


merry little christmas

by crystalklances



Series: Little Lance AU [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Smitten Keith (Voltron), Soft Keith (Voltron), Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 02:18:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17173979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalklances/pseuds/crystalklances
Summary: Keith returns to the castle ship for a break between missions right on time for the Paladins to celebrate Christmas. He gets to share a few moments with Lance.





	merry little christmas

**Author's Note:**

> I'm late, but I wrote something for Christmas. I hope you all had happy holidays, whether you celebrated anything or not!
> 
> This fic is part of the ficlets I'm writing for Raiyakun's Little Lance AU, this one based on [the art they did for Christmas last year](http://raiyakun.tumblr.com/post/168206471909). It takes place after Keith's birthday.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Even out in the depth of space, far, far away from Earth, the paladins knew that life was continuing as always back home. To boost morale and deepen interstellar-cultural understanding, the idea was brought up to celebrate Christmas in the Castle of Lions. Christmas cheer with colorful decorations and small gifts for everyone would surely help to bond, as well.

It was an adjustment for Keith, coming for a visit in between Marmora missions, but it wasn’t unwelcome. Especially with how _vibrant_ the excitement of a certain Paladin was.

Keith sighed, then smiled to himself, feeling soft, affectionate and anxious all at the same time.

Maybe he had hoped a bit too much for his return to the castle ship, after Lance’s surprise video message on his birthday. It wasn’t that Lance was avoiding him or that the air was frosty or anything like that, no; but Lance was rather shy and elusive, for lack of better words. It seemed that every time Keith tried to catch him alone to talk, just about anything, something came in the way. And whenever their gazes met, Lance averted his eyes, a faint blush on his cheeks.

It was frustrating, yes—after all, Keith could be rather impatient—but he also knew that if he wanted to court Lance right, he should take his time. It was okay to take things slow and enjoy the little moments they had, every conversation, every smile and laughter shared. Keith treasured those.

Though it didn’t quite stop him from pouting _just a little bit_ thinking how adorably touching it had been to watch Little Blue reunite with Little Red. Little Blue wouldn’t stop squeaking and hugging Little Red, emoting hearts and tears at the same time, and Little Red emoting hearts of his own while softly nudging Little Blue’s forehead.

It had been so touching to watch and Little Blue’s happiness always made Keith’s heart swell, but at the same time, the impatient part of him couldn’t help but go, _I want to hug Lance like this_. Keith ignored that voice by focusing on how _precious_ Lance’s reaction had been when watching their little ones: cooing softly and smiling.

Keith groaned and covered his face with his hand, the moonstruck smile never leaving his face. He had to get a grip and focus on helping prepare the party. Everyone was giving him looks because they could _tell_. Everyone but Lance. Keith wasn’t sure if that was a blessing or a curse.

As it was a party just for the team, they were using the common room: a table for food and drinks in the center of the sofas, a large tree in one of the corners, and, of course—the large screen displaying the common room of the Little Lances and Little Keith.

The little ones had a huge Christmas tree they were decorating themselves: each of them with their own Christmas ball of the paladin taking care of them, and a star-shaped Coran crowning the treetop. Little Lanceolotl and Little Angel had their balls of Allura and Hunk near the top. Little Techie’s ball of Pidge was hanging from a Rover-decoration in the middle, and Little Cadet did his very best to hang up his ball of Shiro all neatly.

Two, however, had yet to hang up their decoration at all. Little Blue and Little Red were standing in front of the tree, still holding their Christmas balls.

Though Little Blue wasn’t just _holding_ it, no: he was practically rubbing his cheek against it while emoting hearts. If this was anyone else, it would be strange to see this kind of reaction to a _Christmas ball_ , except—it was a Christmas ball _with Keith’s face_. And this was precisely the same way Little Blue reacted to any item in the game that had Keith’s face. It was the same way he often reacted to Little Red, rubbing his cheek against the other’s. Sometimes, Little Blue even rubbed his cheek against the screen; almost as if he wanted to nuzzle against Keith himself. It never failed to make Keith cry from the sheer cuteness (and then cry even more when his mind went on and pictured _Lance_ rubbing his cheek against him like a cat asking for attention).

Little Red was standing next to Little Blue, holding his own Christmas ball with Lance’s face up to his chest and watching Little Blue’s display of affection to the one with Keith’s face. He looked pouty and affectionate all at the same time and Keith understood _very well_ what was going on in his little head. After all, whenever he saw Lance cooing over Little Red, Keith felt _just a little bit_ jealous that he didn’t get the same attention as his mini-me, but at the same time, _Lance was just too precious_ to watch. He just couldn’t _not_ fawn over Lance when he was adorable over and over again.

Little Blue didn’t look like he wanted to let go of the Christmas ball any time soon. Keith huffed an affectionate laugh—at the same time, there was a soft sound next to him, somewhere between a sigh and a whine. Keith turned his face to see Lance standing just a pace away. And he realized that they were the only ones in the room right now. When had everyone else left?

Lance had also turned around and their eyes met. Keith half expected him to slip away again somehow like it always seemed to happen since his return. But for the first time, Lance didn’t avert his gaze. For the first time since his return, they were alone _and Lance stayed right there_ , his air shy, but inviting a shared moment.

The nerves in Keith’s brain were buzzing at high power. He had to make use of this chance, say something, _anything_ , preferably cool or smooth. Much to his frustration, he couldn’t come up with anything on the spot.

Lance looked like he wanted to say something, his lips starting to part.

However, neither of them had a chance to speak when they were interrupted by a commotion of squeaks.

It turned out that while he and Lance had been locked in eye contact, the other Little Lances tried to get Little Blue to hang up his decoration. And Little Blue didn’t want to let go of it, emoting a stream of tears while Little Red stood in distress, torn between siding with the other Little Lances and comforting Little Blue—who had always been clear to be the one most special to him.

Everyone was squeaking all at once, but Keith could make sense of their words. He huffed and raised his voice, firm and clear, yet gentle, always gentle. “Hey, hey, calm down, everyone.” The chaotic squeaking stopped, though Little Blue continued crying while clinging to the Christmas ball. Keith had to stop his lips from quirking up. He asked, “Little Blue, don’t you wanna have a pretty Christmas tree with everyone’s faces on it?” Little Blue squeaked affirmative, but… “You want to keep the ball because it has my face on it, huh?” Keith chuckled, his heart swelling up so big, though he was proud to say that unlike the incident with Little Blue’s pala-cat plush of Keith, he didn’t combust on the spot but continued to speak. “It’s okay, Little Blue. You don’t have to give it away. It just gets a special spot on the tree while we celebrate, then you can have it back. So you don’t have to cry anymore, okay?”

Little Blue nodded and the tears stopped. Little Red nudged him softly, saying they’ll hang their decorations up together, right next to each other. Little Blue squeaked and when the last two balls were finally attached, so close they were practically touching, his smile came back.

Keith laughed softly. “See, Little Blue? Now you guys have a nice tree you all decorated together for the party.”

The little ones all squeaked happily, admiring their tree. Little Blue was emoting hearts again.

There was a huff. “You spoil him too much.”

Keith turned around. Lance was holding his own arms, pouting. Keith couldn’t tell if he was just imagining the blush on his cheeks, but either way, he couldn’t stop himself from smiling this time. “I can’t help it. He’s so cute, I just can’t help it. I want to make all his wishes come true.”

_I want to make your wishes come true. I want to make you happy._

“I, I mean, it’s not like I can’t relate, with Little Red. I just… You’ve been so… strange ever since you found that game.”

“Strange?” Keith raised his eyebrows.

“Yes! Strange!” Lance huffed, waving his arms. “First you keep staring at me, then you’re so honest and—and so _sweet_ , and just…” he sighed, turning his gaze away. “It’s confusing.”

“Lance…”

Keith thought that Lance would say more, but there was a moment of silence. When Lance looked up again, there was a small smile on his lips. “You’re really good with kids, you know.”

“Huh?”

“The way you got him to calm down, and speaking so gently… that’s impressive.”

Keith felt a surge of warm, pleasant pride, flooding him like hot milk on a cold night. _Lance_ , the definition of nurturing who held family so important, complimenting _him_ on being good with kids? That was a high honor.

As it often went, Keith played it cool. “I don’t know about that, I just, I just do what instinct tells me. That’s kind of my thing, remember?”

Lance’s smile widened, yet softened at the same time. “You have great dad instincts, then.”

Keith thought he might combust. He wanted to say something impressive, but if he opened his mouth, he’d probably just blurt out something over the top, something better saved for later.

He was spared any possible embarrassment when Lance laughed sheepishly. “I uh, I should go. Coran needed me with the, uh, with the _thing_ , so…” A shy smile. “I’ll see you later.”

Keith smiled back. “Yeah.”

He watched Lance leave, wishing they could keep talking, but at the same time happy they shared this moment. The warmth lingered for the rest of the day.

 

With the party approaching fast, Keith realized what might be the biggest dilemma: he didn’t have a gift for Lance yet.

It had to be something that Lance would like. But what could he give that’d be casual enough but still personal, with a meaning behind it? What could he be able to find this short on time?

Usually, he’d think to bring something along from a mission, some small trinket he thought Lance might like, or that reminded him of Lance. But he already liked doing that for random, just-because-gifts, and there was no opportunity to do that now. He had to make do with things he could find in the castle, or that he could get with a quick trip to a market place (or, ideally, delivery).

The solution came to him when he watched Little Blue play with his plushies. The way he hugged the Keith plush close, squeaking happily and emoting hearts… Keith remembered the time a real life version had shown up, how Lance had called it “weird” but looked so happy holding it at the same time… if Keith could find a real life merchandizing of himself, that would be _the_ gift. A plush that Lance could hug when he felt lonely and sad. A mini-Keith that could protect him while he was away, even if just in thought.

He wouldn’t present it like that, playing it casual that it was just about the Little Lance game, but the meaning would come across, hopefully.

And so started the hunt through the castle, _just in case_ there mysteriously were any items, or some kind of way Keith could craft something himself.

When he unearthed a box labelled “From the mermaids, for Coalition efforts,” he couldn’t believe his luck.

 _A whole box full of real life merchandize of toys from the Little Lance game_. A wide range of everything and of the different paladins and mascots.

What caught Keith’s eye the most was a plush doll of him—wearing a Blade of Marmora suit, complete with a tiny knife on the belt. He was so sure he hadn’t seen it on the in-game shop yet—if he had, Little Blue would have cried at him with shiny eyes until he bought it for him—but it was _perfect_. Picking it up, he was surprised by how soft it was. It would be perfect for hugging.

Now all he needed was to wrap it up all nicely for Lance.

He was excited for the party and hopeful that Lance would like the gift.

 

The morning they had pinpointed to be Christmas Day, Keith woke up with his nerves fluttering. It wasn’t the foreboding kind of way, but he wasn’t cool and collected, either. He felt fired up, determined to make the best of the party and continue bonding with Lance, every little step he could.

Putting on his normal clothes after spending so long with the Blade of Marmora felt strange, but he felt that he should look casual for the party. He expected them to have that dusty smell when keeping clothes stored away for a while, but he was surprised to find that it was lacking, as if it worked differently in outer space, or maybe someone had made sure to freshen them up. What was more, his jacket smelled… different. It was like any trace of him wearing it was gone. Instead, it held a scent that was… gentle, like a summer breeze carrying the scent of sweet berries and flower fields.

Closing his eyes, the scent evoked a feeling of _home_. It was _familiar_. It was what he yearned for every time he passed by a certain someone.

But that was ridiculous, right? Lance couldn’t possibly be wearing his jacket while he was gone. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him because of how much he was thinking about Lance all the time. That had to be it, right?

He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and finally stepped out of his old room to meet everyone in the lounge. He knew what the room looked like fully decorated. He also expected that others would probably be there already. But boy, was Keith not prepared for the sight of Lance with a crown of space lametta in his hair, beaming brighter than the lights on the tree.

It should be illegal, how ridiculously adorable the Red Paladin was. Except Keith definitely didn’t want to miss it, ever.

Now he just had to hope he didn’t look _too_ moonstricken for the entire party.

There was soft music playing, no doubt courtesy to Pidge and Little Techie. The little ones were already gathered by their own tree on the large screen, and Little Blue wasted no time to zoom over from Keith’s phone and nuzzle his cheek against Little Red’s with happy squeaks. _Too cute_.

Everyone gathered around the sofas to chat and have breakfast. And as fate wanted to have it, Keith was right next to Lance, with no one else on either side. A sweet, sweet torture, because now they definitely gonna have shared moments, but at the same time Keith was _hyper aware_ of how close they were—and it would be a lot harder to be subtle about sneaking glances at Lance. _Especially_ because he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold back the fond smile. And with the fact that Lance was radiating nothing but contagious holiday cheer.

And the fact that he smelled so sweetly, and Keith thought he had seen Lance’s eyes widen in surprise, cheeks darkening, when spotting Keith had traded his Marmora uniform for his old clothes.

He had to stop thinking about the jacket and focus on the party.

Luckily, that was easier than feared once they all started eating and talking, with the Little Lances squeak-singing Christmas songs in the backdrop (and Little Red fawning over them rather than joining in the singing). It had been a long, long time, since Keith celebrated a Christmas that didn’t feel lonely or cold, in some kind of way. He felt content and warm, not just thanks to being so close to Lance.

Keith was glad that he took the chance to take a break from missions.

After their meal, they sat down in circle of comfortable cushions on the floor in front of the tree to give presents.

Everything Keith unwrapped was a practical tool or related to weapons in some way. Not unappreciated, considering he’d be back on the road with the Blades again.

The last present he received was from Lance, who handed him a small bundle with his gaze averted. A bundle that was really soft. Curious, Keith removed the wrapping to reveal… fingerless gloves, knit from silky and light, yet sturdy material. He looked up at Lance, curious for an explanation.

Lance’s voice was soft when he said, “I found this special wool that’s got all these neat functions that make it suitable for armors and stuff, so I thought… in case you ever need to be somewhere cold, you can keep warm while keeping style.”

Keith smiled warmly. “Thank you, Lance.” He cleared his throat. It was time to give his own gift to Lance. It really seemed so silly in comparison now but, well, here he was, still thinking it was the perfect choice. He handed the present to Lance, who took it with curiosity shining in his eyes. “Here you go. Merry Christmas, Lance.”

Lance unwrapped it carefully and gasped softly when he held the plush in his hands.

Going right to the explanation, Keith said, “Little Blue loves those plushies and I happened to find this, so… it’s yours now.”

Lance huffed. “It’s so silly.” The soft, happy smile betrayed him. “Thank you, Keith.”

And in that moment, Keith felt like they were the only people in the world. Nothing else mattered, not the knowing looks everyone shared, not even Little Blue’s squeaking.

The only thing that mattered was Lance’s smile, the warmth shining from him, and the hope that maybe one day, Keith will have a Christmas, just the two of them.

**Author's Note:**

> Please remember to also reblog Raiya's art if you like it, or visit their twitter to find it on there!
> 
> You can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/crystalklances), [tumblr](https://crystalklances.tumblr.com) and [instagram](https://instagram.com/crystalklances) where you can find out about different ways you can support me!


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